Stabilization and Conservation of an Historic Plaster Mural
Allied Arts Mural
Menlo Park, CA

The wall mural known as “The Patron Saint of Artisans” at the Allied Arts Guild was painted by Maxine Albro in the 1930s, whose murals decorate many significant structures in the region, such as Coit Tower. The mural depicts a tree with four different crafts and has an inscribed niche of Tubal-Cain, the first artificer (Genesis 4:22).

Over time, water infiltration had caused the outermost layer of plaster to delaminate from the secondary wall layer, resulting in voids behind the painted plaster of up to 1/2-inch wide. ARG Conservation Services was retained to consolidate and stabilize the plaster as a precursor to surface treatment by a paintings conservator.

The ARG/CS treatment began with material analysis to match surface texture of the historic plaster. The custom fill material provided adhesion without surpassing the adhesive strength of the historic plaster and allowed appropriate levels of water permeability with minimal shrinkage. After laboratory testing, the custom fill material was injected into existing cracks with a syringe.